Queenstown

It was a slow descent as we were lowered into New Zealand through the black and white-frosted mountains. We’re used to landing in tear-stained, watercolour England after sunning our necks abroad for a couple of weeks, but what a contrast it is to be dipped in the cool air of the other side of the world.

After landing and acclimatising to our changed surroundings, the first thing we endured was an extensive bio-security screening to ensure we weren’t bringing fruit, animal products or soil into the country that could potentially harm the environment. If your shoes are dirty and you don’t declare it, you could be slammed with a $400 fine. Thankfully we passed through uncontaminated, a dog sniffed us, and a bus showed up quickly to shuttle our clean bodies into Queenstown.

The journey was spectacular. We knew that New Zealand would be special, but I don’t think we had quite realised the impression it would make. We’ve traded gridlocked Los Angeles for the snaking, open roads of the South Island, surrounded by expansive lakes and mountains. Wild palms no longer lose their heads in the wind on the sidewalk, but instead the quiet lanes are laced with still ferns and snow. The contrast between black and white on the mountains is difficult to capture, and at times the snow looks overexposed and blends in seamlessly with the sky.

Queenstown itself is a sports and adventure hub and seems to be populated mainly by young travellers. Jet-lagged and disoriented, we were accosted by Russel Brand’s stunt double outside an extreme dinghy shop and he told us that town was too expensive for the locals, and he said that this was the main reason we were hearing so many posh British accents. He wanted us to “book all our experiences at once” assuming that we too were here for several thrills, but we preferred to take things at our own pace.

We spent our first night in a hostel dorm, which was clean and comfortable, but we then migrated to the outskirts of town, to a more private room in a house on Fernhill. Being high up, it has sweeping views of Lake Wakatipu. This suits us better. We like to retreat to the remote corners of whatever place we find ourselves in.